By Brendan Rees
The first sod has been turned as part of stage two of the $4.4 million Hunt Club Estate District Level AFL and Cricket Oval project.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera joined City of Casey Mayor Geoff Ablett on Tuesday 28 August in announcing the start of construction at the Cranbourne East site for a pavilion which will include a community space, change rooms, a kitchen and office space.
Stage one construction started last year and once complete it will feature a football and cricket oval with floodlighting, cricket nets, a synthetic cricket pitch, a path network, play space, car parking, and landscaping.
Both stages of the Hunt Club Estate District Level AFL/Cricket Oval and Pavilion project will be completed in April 2019.
The project is funded through a $2.38 million grant from the State Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund and $2 million from the Cranbourne East Development Contributions Plan, with the City of Casey also contributing $50000.
Mr Perera said with the high rate of population growth in Casey, the new oval and pavilion would “make all the difference” for new residents.
“This new oval and pavilion are a great example of how the Andrews Labor Government is nurturing the community spirit and liveability in our local area,” he said.
Cr Ablett said the new sporting ground and pavilion was a “significant development” and would help bring the community together.
“We need the State Government of the day to help us with rate capping, and funding and co-funding for projects like this otherwise we might have to look at putting rates up and we don’t want to do that,” he said.
Cr Amanda Stapledon said residents were “really excited about this coming along.”
“We’ve just had all this remediation works done to minimise the dust – that was a problem,” she said.
Liberal candidate for Cranbourne Ann Marie Hermans said the he Liberal Nationals would always back grassroots sporting clubs first.
“Unlike Daniel Andrews who has decided to give a massive $225 million of taxpayers’ money to the AFL to upgrade Etihad Stadium, the Liberal Nationals are getting behind cash-strapped local sporting clubs who desperately need our support,” she said.
